Lamp holder



/ July 7, 1942. D. CURTIS LAMP HOLDER Filed Oct. 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheetl July 7, 1942. D. cURTIs LAMP HOLDER Filed Oct. 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet\2 Q Patented July 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to holders more especialiy intended for tubularelectric lamps employed in fluorescent fighting and involving doubleended lamps of the vapor type supported or mounted at both ends insuitable holders; the improved holders being adapted for one or morelamps arranged lengthwisely of the fixture and the multiple lamps eitherarranged parallel or in tandem relation.

The invention contemplates lamp holders of symmetrical and streamlineconfiguration and compact design provided with lamp locking slots andenclosed contact elements and starting switch receiving sockets which,in holders adapted for two or more lamps, are disposed at apredetermined point relative to the lamp end receiving slots and contactelements at one side or end of the holder whereby the lamp served orcontrolled is indicated and removal either of .a lamp or of the switchpermitted without necessitating removal of the other. The inventionprovides a lamp and switch holding unit which may be reversed or used ateither end of a lamp and therefore at either end of a supporting fixtureand hence merely requiring a single mould to be employed in itsmanufacture which greatly reduces manufacturing cost.

The invention has for its object the provision of a self contained unitwhereby wiring between the lamp receiving portion and the startingswitch is eliminated: the switch member cooperating with certain of thecontact springs or conducting elements.

The invention also involves a lamp and switch holding unit provided witha removable side wall or cover plate permitting accessibility forassembly and repair; a unit wherein the contact ele-v ments or springs,in conjunction with the-unit housing, are formed to effect interengagingrela-' tion whereby accidental dislo'dgment of the contact elements willbe prevented; the contact springs or elements in conjunction with theimproved slots in a side wall of the holder tending to lock the lamps inplace and preventing the latter dropping out of the holder.

My invention also contemplates a lamp holder with an auxiliary lockingmeans, independent of the aforementioned slots and contact elements,

' whereby the lamp entering slots will be automaticallyclosed andaccidental removal of the lamp prevented; the lamp holder being adaptedto connect directly to the current carrying elements in a ballasthousing or fixture without th need of extraneous wiring.

The above enumerated obiectsand the advanimproved holder with the coverplate removed to show interior construction.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the holder with the cover plate in placeand showing my improved auxiliary locking means.

Figure 3 is an exploded detail perspectiveview of a portion of theholder housing and a portion of one of the contact springs or blades,with the assembled position of the blade shown in dotted lines. 1

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one end of aballast-containing'housing or fixture with end removed and the upperportion of my improved lamp holder, illustrating a method of direct.connection with the current conducting wires in the fixture. 1 1

Figure 5 is an edge view of a holder for receiving lamps and startingswitches on each side, illustrating lamps arranged in tandem.

Figure 6 isa view similar to Figure 4 illustrating a plug-in type offixture provided with a receptacle. 1

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a fixture with the dual type of lampholders shown in Figures 1 and 2, portions of a lamp being broken awayto disclose the starting switch, and illustrating a mechanical method ofsecuring the holders to the fixture housing.

Figure 8 illustrates a modified form of my im-- proved lamp holder.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of another modification of lamp and switchholder.

Figure 10 is a perspective view, with intermediate portions broken away,of a fixture showing a modified form of the holder shown in Figure 8 fora single lamp and illustrating a modification of plug-in arrangement.

Figure 11 is an exploded view in perspective of one end of the fixtureand a modification of the holder shown in Figure 1, adapted to besidewisely plugged into the receptacle 0! the fixture.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a symmetrical andstreamlined form of holder having fiat sides, which may be employed ateither end of the fixtures or lamps, thus obviating the necessity ofproviding right hand and lefthand holders and enabling the holders,generally of suitable plastic material, to be-made with a single mould.

In the exemplification shown in Figures 1 and -posts of the lamps;

- substantially in line disposed bifurcation 2, the holder consists of asingle piece main or body portion I! having a flat side wall l8 with'astraight lower edge and curved upper edge on opposite sides of theintermediate upstanding substantially rectangular boss portion I'I; oneside of the side wall l6 being provided with the periprovided with apair of pins or terminal posts metrical flange I8 which connects withthe overhanging portion of the boss I1, thus providing one side of theside wall or body with a contact spring receiving. cavity. For purposesof strengthening and also to provide cover plate attaching portions, Iprefer to'provide the cavity side of the holder with a rigidifyingmember or vertically disposed rib l9 formed integral with the lowerperimetrical flange i8 and the boss ll; the rib is on opposite sidesbeing shown with the laterally extending lobes 20, 20. The perimetricalflange l8 at preselected points also is preferably provided with screwreceiving lobes as at 2i. The inner face of the side wall it atpredetermined points is provided with contact holding and spacing studs22.

and in order to insert the lamps the latter are held so as to align theposts. with the lower end of the slot 28 and hence with the slot 21 inthe housing portion of the holder. The uppermost pin or post of the lamppasses to the upper end of the arcuate portion of the slot 28, intoengagement with the straight blade 23-0rv 23 as the case may be-causingthe upper end of the slot to act as a fulcrum point so that a slighttwist or turn of the lamp will cause the other or lower pin to press thedistal end of blade 23* laterally and to enter the upper end of the slotbifurcation 28" beyond the off-set or shoulder in the blade 23, therebyfirmly locking the lamp in springs pass through suitably spaced slots 25formed in the boss I! (see Figure 3) and in order to preventdisplacement or inward movement of movement after the cover plate 24 hasbeen put into place.

The lower ends of the contact springs or blades 23' are each off-set orshouldered toward.

its complementary spring or blade and disposed above the slots 21 in theholder housing as shown in Figure l for engagement with the terminalwhilethe long or left hand end-of blade 22'' and the inner end of blade23 are oppositely off-set or shouldered to receive the terminal posts ofthe starting switch.

The lower edge of the body portion of the holder l5, adjacent each end,with a slot 21 for insertion of the terminal posts located at each endof the tubular lamps of the type shown in Figure "I; the slotsterminating short of the wall it of the holder.

The cover plate 24 (which is removably secured to the housing of theholder) adjacent its ends and at its lower longitudinal edge is providedwith Y-shape or bifurcated slots 28 whose lower ends-register with theslots 21 in the bottom of the holder. body. The major portion of theslots 28 aremade arcuate, curving toward the center of the holderslightly beyond the plane ofthe straight portion of blades whileintermediate the ends, namely at a point with th lower ends of theslots, they are each provided with the upwardly portion of each contactend of each blade 28 off-set or'shouldered blade 23, with the distalsubstantially in alignment with. the intermediate the protruding ends ofthe contact springs (as may result during plug-in operation) I provideplace against accidental removal.

The removable wall or cover plate 24 adjacent one end is provided withan annular hole 29 which is covered on the inner side of the plate by ablank 30 (shown in dotted lines in Figure 2) which is provided with apair of properly spaced key-hole slots 3| whose reduced ends registerwith the shouldered or off-set portions of blades 23 and 23. The opening29 receives the end of a cylindrical starter switch element 32 (seeFigure '7) while the slots 3| receive the pair of studs or terminals ofthe switch which are held in place by the blades. In my improved holder,the starter switch or element 32 controls the lamp 33 disposed at'thesameend of the holder and therefore indicates the lamp served orcontrolled by the switch; the holder when reversed or placed at theopposite end of the fixture giving the same indication. Furthermore,withthe starter switch receiving socket arranged as shown and described,easy insertion and removal of the v lamps and not be obstructed by theswitch.

My improved combination lamp and switch holder provides a self containedunit which eliminates the use of wiring between the lamp holder and thestarter switch, thus permitting is shown provided 28 which aligns withthe easy installation. of the fixture and minimizes labor in assembly.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a holder unitwhich readily lends itself to fixtures of varying designz'acomparatively shallow, flat sided unit requiring a single noncomplicatedmould in its manufacture. My design minimizes the amount of Bakelite orother plastic material and is materially less than is found in twoindividual lamp holders plus one starter switch holder.

For example in Figure 5 I illustrate the type of holder shown in Figures*1 and 2 adapted to the arrangement of lamps ll (merely end portionsbeing shown) arranged in tandem, namely on opposite sides of the holderunit 24 (shown edgewise) which is similar in construction to the holderunit ll,-'except of substantially double thickness with an intermediatedivision with shown in dotted lines at II and each side provided with aremovable wall or cover plate 2i having the slots and socket arrangementshown in Figure 2. The contact springs or blades (not shown except'forthe protruding ends) are arranged as shown in Figure 1, withinterlocking engagement with the uppen central boss portion I! of theholder as more clearly shown in Figure 3.

In Figure 8 I illustrate a modified form of lamp and switch holder unitwhereby a pair of lamps will be held in parallel relation one above theother instead of in horizontally spaced relation as provided by theholder shown in Figure 1.

The holder 36, Figure 8 (also preferably made of molded plasticmaterial), consists of a vertically disposed fiat-sided shallow housingprovided with a removable side wall or cover plate 31 and with a base orboss portion 33 which preferably is slotted in the manner previouslydescribed and shown in Figure 3 to cooperate with notches 26 formed inthe various contact springs or blades and lock the latter in place.

One side edge of theremovable side wall or cover plate 31, in proximityto the base 33 and the upper end, are each shown provided with thebifurcated or Y-shape slot 29,and the switch receiving socket 29 andslots 3|, as heretofore described.

In Figure 10 I show a modification of the type of holder shown in Figure8 as'well as a modified arrangement or fixture assembly. The holderunits 39 in Figure 10 contemplate the use of a single lamp 33 on eachside of the .ballast containing housing 40 and hence the removable wallsor covers of the holder units 39 (shown plugged into the sides of thehousing) are each provided with a single lamp terminal receiving Y-shapeslot 28 and with a starter switch receiv'ing Socket 29. a r

The holders shown in Figure 10 are identical in construction and henceare interchangeable, but in view of the fact that a single lamp is usedon each side'of the fixture, merely one of the correlated pair ofholders need be provided with a starting switch 32'. To permit the useof a pair of lamps on each side of the housing 40 instead of a singlelamp as in'Figure, 10, I provide the modified form of holder 4! shown inFigure 9. The lamp holder 4| also consists of a fiat sided housing witha removable side wall or cover,'as heretofore described, provided with abifurcated or Y-shape slot extending inwardly from the opposite sideedges as shown at 28, 28 and a starter switch receiving socket 29arranged adjacent one of the lamp holding slots 23, thus indicating thelamp served or controlled thereby; the holder also being of theinterchangeable type as heretofore described.

My improved lamp holder units may be em- .ployed in various arrangementsof lighting fixtures, namely by either plugging into'suitablereceptacles in the ends of the "ballast holding or fixture housing asshown at 4i with openings in the bottom of the housing as disclosed inFigure 8 and also shown in Figure 7; or by plugging into the sides ofthe fixture housing as shown in Figure 10.

The outer or plug-in ends of the contact springs or blades 01' the typeof holder shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be formed to protrude through theside of the boss portion I! as illus trated in Figure 11, thus enablingthe dual type of lamp holder of Figure 1 to be plugged into a receptaclearranged in the end of a ballast or fixture housing with openingsthrough the end wall, so that the lamps may extend parallel with thefixture or ballast housing 40.

The protruding ends of the contact springs or blades are preferablynotched as shown in Figures and 11 which permits the lamp holder to bedirectly wired to the ballast elements in the fixture or ballast housing40 as illustrated in Figure 4 where no receptacle isemployed.

With the bifurcated lamp-terminal receiving slots and formation of thecontact springs or blades as heretofore described, the lamps will befirmly held in place against accidental movement, but as a furtherprecaution I prefer to provide the lower or slotted edge of the holderwith means adapted to automatically move across the ends of the lamp-pinor terminal receiving slots. One adaptation of this means is shown inFigure 2, consisting of a pair of slidably mounted strips 42 whose innerends are bent downwardly or outwardly into finger grasping portions 43.The holder body is provided with the small lugs or lips 44, grooved orslotted for slidably receiving the strips 42. and may be edgewisely heldin place by corresponding lips or an overhanging edge of the cover plate24. The holder, intermediate its ends, is provided with a small lug orpin for attachment of the inner ends of the coil springs 46, while theouter ends of the springs are operatively connected with the fingergrasping portions 43 of the strips 42 and normally force the stripsacross the open ends of the slots 28; the distance between the portions43 and the spring attaching post 45 being sufllcient to permit the outerends of the strips 42,to move into slot uncovering position.

In order to permit my improved lamp and 5 switch holder unit, inaddition to its contact springs or blades, to be mechanically secured tothe "ballast" housing, I provide the holder adiacent its vertical medianline with small holes As is evident from the construction shown inFigure l, the lobes 2| at the perimeter of the holder and the studs 22cooperate to maintain the inner long ends of the contact springs orblades in proper position relative to the respective slots and sockets;while the outer protruding ends of the blades are held against inwardmovement during plug-in operation by the interlocking slot engagementshown in detail in Figure 3.

My improved combination lamp-and switch holding units, as previouslystated, are reversible eliminating the necessity of "rights-' andlefts"; and when reversed or placed at the opposite end of the fixturethe starter switch automatically feeds or controls the adjacent lamp.This necescitates the use of a single mould instead of a mul-tiple andhence less electrical connections in assembly and wiring are required.Then too, the starter switches are easily accessible, regardless ofwhether the fixture or equipment is recessed or not, as the off-centerswitches can be removed without the necessity of removing a lamp, as.however, is necessary with holders as heretofore constructed; theimproved holder with the switch receiving socket arrangement, relativeto the lamp pin receiving slots and contacts, identifies or indicatesthe particular lamp controlled or served by the switch. Furthermore, myimproved lamp holders have been designed with arcuate outer ends which,in-addition to providing a streamline effect, are. less likely to becomebroken as there are fewer angles or corners to be chipped or broken oif.

The exempliflcations and amusements oi the lamp holder are believed tobe the simplest embodiments oi the invention, but certain modificationsare possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spiritof my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A lamp and switch holding unit comprising an elongated body portionprovided with a removable sidewall and with current conducting a contactblades arranged in pairs and protruding movement of the lamp-pins isprevented, said wall also having a starter switch receiving socket; andan auxiliary contact blade intermediate said. socket and a bifurcationof one of said slots.

2. A lamp holder comprising an elongated fiatadapted to receive alamp-pin whereby outward sided body portion provided adjacent opposite.

ends with lamp-pin receiving slots extending upwardly from the loweredgeoi the holder and bifurcated at their upper ends, said wall inter-'mediate the slots being provided with a starter switch receivingsocket, arranged adjacent one of said slots; current conducting contactblades arranged in thebody portion with the inner ends arrangedcoincident with the bifurcations of said slots while the outer ends ofsaid blades protrude through the upperedge oi the holder to provide aplug-in type lampholder; and an auxiliary contact blade intermediatesaid socket and a bifurcation of the adjacent slot. Y

3, A lamp holder for tubular fluorescent lamps sided body portionprovided with an upstanding slotted boss portion intermediate the endsand on one edge of the holder, one wall of the housin having a pluralityof spacedapart lamp-pin receiving slots and a starter switch receivingsocket arranged between the slots, current conducting contact bladesarranged in the holder adjacent said slots and said socket with one ofthe ends having pin-type bases comprising a shallow flat- I of saidblades protruding through the slots in said boss portion to provide aplug-in type lampholder, said ends of the blades and said boss portionhaving cut-out matching portions i'or edgewisely effecting interengagingrelation; and an auxiliary contact blade intermediate one of saidlamppin receiving slots and said starter switch receiving socket.

4. A lamp holder of the character described comprising a body portionprovided with a removable wall provided with lamp-pin receivingslots,'adjacent opposite sides, extending from one edge ,0! said walland bifurcated at their inner ends, the bifurcations of each slot beingadapted to separately receive the pins of parallelly arranged lamps, astarter switch receiving socket in said wall intermediate said slots,current conducting contact blades mounted in the body portion andarranged in pairs with one end of each blade protruding through one edgewall of the holder to provide a plug-in type lampholder, the inner endsof said contact blades being disposed adjacent the bifurcations of theslot at one end oi said wall while the inner-ends of the other pair ofcontact blades are disposed adjacent a bifurcation of the other slot andadjacent said socket, respectively; and an auxiliary contact blade inthe body portion intermediate said socket and the other bifurcation ofsaid last mentioned slot.

5. In combination with a lamp having a twopin type base, a lampholderprovided with contact blades and an auxiliary contact blade, all;arranged in predetermined spaced relation; a side wall ofthe lampholderbeing provided with a starter switch receiving socket and with arcuateslots extending from the lower edge of thelampholder, with the upper endof one of the slots arranged coincident with a contact blade while theupperend of the other slot is arranged coincident with said auxiliaryblade, each slot at a distance removed from its inner end, correspondingto the distance between the two pins of the lampebase, having adiverging bifurcation arranged coincident with a contact blade, saidauxiliary contact blade being arranged intermediate the starter switchreceiving socket and the inner end oi the adjacent lamp-pin receivinslot, and a contact blade extending from the starter switch receivingsocket, all of said contact blades except the auxiliary blade, extendingto the lampholder exterior.

' DARWIN CURTIS.

